Saturday, September 18, 2010

GIFT OF THE DAY

Lately God has sent a special gift for my camera each day!The tiny butterfly was about the size of a quarter; he was as still as could be in the tall grass of the back yard when I was out with our two small dogs a few mornings back. I figured he might be at the end of his life, or cold. I hoped he'd still be there when I'd had time to come inside, start water heating for poached eggs I'd promised to prepare for breakfast, grab my camera and go back outside. I hurried through my chores, but he was gone...then I saw him fluttering here and there. I was able to capture several shots. This was the best.

The following day as I went to mail a card or two I spied these little yellow flowers trailing out onto our front walk. If the yardmen had come when scheduled, these blossoms would have been destroyed. I have since learned they are weeds and should be quickly discouraged. Since that day, I have noted nothing but little buds in the remaining vine-like leafy trails of green. I am thrilled I was in the right place at the right time. The name, Indian Mock-Strawberry is appropriate because, except for color, they do indeed look like the many strawberry blossoms I have seen.

I mail many cards, so the next day as I walked back from our up-the-street-mailbox, I looked up and thought, "That sky looks like Someone dropped a bag of white cotton balls over a bright blue carpet! I'd better take a picture and post it on Facebook and say so!" So I did!

Yesterday I woke thinking, "I wonder what He is going to give me today?" With all these pretty pictures, I was starting to feel special and spoiled. We had some errands to run and when we returned, there in the front corner, furthest away from our walk, sitting up perky as you please was this Silver Leaf Nightshade! It’s another weed, another thing the yardmen should have trimmed away had they been here when they were supposed to come. I told my husband, "I must get my camera and try to take a picture of that. You're not surprised, are you?" He said, "No, you never met a flower you didn't want to take a picture of!"

Well, hopefully we won't be overcome by weeds before the yardmen arrive, the ones who should have come a week ago, who, when called said they'd be here Thursday. The same yardcare guys my husband called and left a message for yesterday, saying, "You told me you'd be here Thursday. It's now 4 o'clock on Friday. Please call." We have neither seen nor heard yet. Maybe today, but if not, perhaps I'll find more flowers...come to think of it, there is that carpet of tiny purple flowers in the back field...uh-h-h, back yard!